Jordan North and Jay Rodriguez have reignited the Pendleside ‘Keep Your Hospice Open’ campaign as the whole country has moved into its third lockdown.

Radio 1 DJ and ‘I’m A Celeb’ star Jordan and Clarets striker Jay are both ambassadors and have worked relentlessly throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to help the hospice survive.

Jordan has hosted monthly virtual pub quizzes on facebook and hosted an hour-long questions and answers on Instagram following his huge popularity on ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’.

His ‘Happy Place, Happy Place, Turf Moor’ outburst, which Burnley Football Club used to create a charity T-shirt, is expected to raise around £20,000 for the hospice and for Burnley Football Club In The Community’s foodbank.

At the outset of the pandemic Jay sourced and donated thousands of facemasks and other personal protection equipment for the hospice when it was scarce. Since then he has donated soccer memorabilia to be auctioned and has taken part in morale-boosting live-stream chats with patients and staff.

Jordan, 30, said: “The third lockdown has again put Pendleside in a perilous position. To imagine there being no Pendleside Hospice is unthinkable.

“I realise it’s a struggle for everyone at this time but we need Pendleside to be there for generations to come. Most people in Burnley and Pendle have either used the hospice’s services themselves or have had family or friends who have needed their help.

“I know what it means to the people of Burnley and Pendle because when the need has been there Pendleside has helped care for members of my family.

“It needs every penny possible during these dire times. So even if you only donate a fiver or the cost of a haircut you can’t have at the moment, or something like that, it would mean so much.

“Over the next few months I will be doing all I can to help so watch this space!”

And Burnley-born Jay, 31, added: “I said when we initially launched the campaign last spring how much Pendleside means to my family after it cared for my grandad Brian Threlfall before he passed away there aged 76.

“These are unprecedented times and the need for Pendleside is more important now than ever before. It is caring for more inpatients and hospice-at-home patients than ever before and there must be an immense strain on the counselling service it offers because a lot of people are suffering mental stress during the pandemic.

“So, I guess, it needs help now more than it did even during the last major lockdown in the early part of last year.”

Helen McVey, chief executive of Pendleside, said: “We really appreciate the role both Jordan and Jay have played as ambassadors during the last nine months or so.

“Their efforts, and those of Josh Hindle, another hospice ambassador whose Lockdown Festival raised over £13,000, have truly played a major part in helping us to maintain the service we give to the community and I hope that other people will join with them by giving their support to our ‘Keep Your Hospice Open’ campaign.”